Everyone who is tall has this bizarre thing in common

Are you tall? Towering over your friends even when they're in heels? Well, you might be interested to hear that you and your other above-average sized friends all have something slightly bizarre in common: you share the same DNA from Neanderthal ancestors...

It turns out our Homo sapiens ancestors mated with Neanderthals, meaning that up to 4% of our DNA comes from these distant cousins. And now, a new study has shown that these Neanderthal genes still affect us today, contributing to traits including height, the Mail Online reports.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Scientists examined the DNA of people who carry both modern human and Neanderthal versions of specific genes, one type from each parent.

The team from the University of Washington School of Medicine discovered that one Neanderthal version of a gene, dubbed ADAMTSL3 (snappy, right?), influences height, while also decreasing the risk of developing schizophrenia.